It was another close call for the DLSU Green Spikers as they suffered another loss against the AdUSoaring Falcons in five sets, 16-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 13-15, earlier today at the San Juan Arena.
The Green-and-White gained enough momentum for the chance to seal the deal late in the fifth set, but Green Spiker Aaron Calderon committed a service error giving Adamson their fourth victory of the tournament.
Adamson dominated the opening set firing up a 10-0 run to take a 13-4 lead through the efforts of team captain Michael Sudaria and Jerome Sarmiento. The Green Spikers came to within seven at 16-23 before the Soaring Falcons closed the set with a block and a service ace.
The Green Spikers bounced back right away taking a 4-1 advantage early in the second set before the Soaring Falcons matched every point of La Salle towards the end. The Taft-based squad looked comfortably ahead in taking the set leading 23-16, but Adamson threatened La Salle with six straight points before the Green Spikers scored a two of their own to clinch the second set.
The Soaring Falcons’ defensive plays allowed no breathing room for the Green Spikers keeping the lead all throughout the third set. La Salle came to within one at 18-17, but it was too much Adamson as they took the third set at 25-20.
Both squads were again neck-and-neck halfway the fourth set. The Green Spikers pulled away from a 13-13 deadlock and never looked back as they tie the match with a score of 25-21.
The final set boiled down to the last few rallies as Adamson and La Salle were tied at 12-12. Adamson’s Bryan Saraza and Sudaria scored on a spike and a block respectively as the Soaring Falcons were one point away from the win. Calderon scored on a spike of his own, 14-13 in favor of AdU, but a costly error by La Salle ended the match in Adamson’s favor.
Team captain Red Christensen top scored for the Green Spikers with 14 markers while his counterpart Sudaria registered a game-high 19 points. With the defeat, the Green Spikers sit at the bottom half of the standings with a 1-5 win-loss slate.
The Green Spikers will end their first round of the tournament against the UST Growling Tigers on January 10 at the same venue.
